Ten Ren Oolong
I first came across Ten Ren Tea through a recommendation on Twitter and decided to visit while exploring tea shops in New York City.
At the time, the NYC tea scene was still relatively small compared to what it is today. Specialty tea shops were not as widespread, and places like Ten Ren were among the earlier and more accessible introductions to Taiwanese tea culture in the city.
Tea Selection: Pouchong and Green Oolong
I picked up two oolong teas during my visit: a Pouchong and a basic green oolong.
The Pouchong is a very lightly oxidized Taiwanese oolong that sits closer to green tea in character, with soft floral and slightly sweet notes. The green oolong was a more standard mid-range option, both in price and oxidation level.
The selection at the time was fairly simple, mostly focused on Taiwanese teas with a small range of oolong and green tea options.
In-Store Experience
The shop experience was straightforward and self-guided. The staff was polite, but there wasn’t much explanation or tasting guidance offered during the visit.
It felt more like a place to browse and choose teas based on labels rather than a structured tea education experience, which was common for tea shops in NYC at the time.
Looking Back at the NYC Tea Scene
Looking back now, it’s interesting to see how much the tea landscape in New York City has expanded.
What once felt like a small number of specialty tea shops has grown into a much more diverse scene, with cafés focused on matcha, Taiwanese oolong, Chinese gongfu-style tea service, and modern tea bars all coexisting across the city.
In that sense, Ten Ren represents an earlier stage of tea accessibility in NYC — a gateway into Taiwanese tea for many people before the specialty tea wave fully developed.
Would I Go Back?
I would definitely return to explore more of their teas, especially to compare how their selection has evolved over time. I have actually gone to Ten Ren to get tea for a friend before she moved to Germany forever. She wanted some good tea to take with her knowing it would be less available in her new home country.
As NYC continues to grow its tea culture, I also find myself visiting more tea shops across Manhattan, Chinatown, and occasionally Queens to see how different approaches to tea service and sourcing have developed.
If you have recommendations for tea shops in NYC that focus on oolong or Taiwanese tea, I’m always interested in discovering new places. If you’re interested in learning more about Oolong, read this article about High Mountain Oolong.
